Broiling residents asked to go easy on power

Updated 12:40 pm, Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Photo: John Davenport, San Antonio Express-News

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San Antonio firefighters cool off under a large pecan tree after fighting a fire Monday June 25, 2012 at 318 West Ligustrum. The fire broke out after 2:00 p.m. and the home's owner Julian Menchaca said a water heater malfunctioned, causing the blaze.

San Antonio firefighters cool off under a large pecan tree after fighting a fire Monday June 25, 2012 at 318 West Ligustrum. The fire broke out after 2:00 p.m. and the home's owner Julian Menchaca said a water

Kids in the City of San Antonio's Parks and Recreation program called the Summer Youth Program play with a parachute at the Garza Community Center Monday June 25, 2012. The program gets the kids out of the heat and lasts from June 18 to August 10.

Kids in the City of San Antonio's Parks and Recreation program called the Summer Youth Program play with a parachute at the Garza Community Center Monday June 25, 2012. The program gets the kids out of the heat

Claudio De La Rosa, left, eats an ice cream cone on the River Walk as her grand daughter Leah Ayala, 2, naps exhausted from the heat. Monday, June 25, 2012.

Claudio De La Rosa, left, eats an ice cream cone on the River Walk as her grand daughter Leah Ayala, 2, naps exhausted from the heat. Monday, June 25, 2012.

Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News

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Maria Reitzer adjust her window air conditioner as the temperature rises throughout South Texas, Sunday, June 24, 2012. Reitzer and her daughter were adjusting the unit because it wasn't cooling properly. She was at her house near the corner of North Las Moras Street and West Houston Street.

Maria Reitzer adjust her window air conditioner as the temperature rises throughout South Texas, Sunday, June 24, 2012. Reitzer and her daughter were adjusting the unit because it wasn't cooling properly. She

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Mojica, a director of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department's Summer Youth Program at Gilbert Garza Park, kept her campers inside the air-conditioned community center for a game of sharks and lifeguards, replacing the pool with two giant colorful parachutes.

“We like to take our older kids swimming in the pool here (at Garza Park), but when it gets hot we stay inside,” Mojica said. “We don't need to be outside to be active.”

The 10-week camp, which started June 18, is for children 8 to 14 and is so popular that there often aren't enough spaces for all interested campers.

Adrian Johnson, 10, was one of the “swimmers” trying not to get pulled under the parachute by the “sharks.” Wearing a fitting choice of clothing for the hot weather — a Miami Heat T-shirt — Adrian said most of his favorite games take place indoors.

“I like the parachutes, but we only do them every Monday,” he said. “We like dodge ball too.”

Joey Becerrio, 13, said that because the heat can make it difficult to have fun outside, he doesn't mind having fun indoors. A hip-hop and country music fan, Joey enjoys singing karaoke at the camp as well.

Even if kids can't go outside, camp fitness instructor Jessica Perez said there are other ways for them to get exercise.

“You can do yoga as a family, do aerobics, jump rope, anything you can do in a small space,” she said. “The heat shouldn't stop you from being active.”

While the river guides were present during the hotter hours of the day, Wright said the customers were noticeably absent.

Still, not all tourists were discouraged. Curt and Tammy Vick of Santa Fe, near Galveston, were in town for their honeymoon, leaving their five kids — all between 17 and 23 — home for their first trip to San Antonio since 2007.

“We've been out all day on the Rio Taxi, at the Alamo. ... The heat isn't stopping us,” Curt Vick said. “We can cool off at the hotel — that's what the pool is for.”

Across the street, James Smith, 22, was giving out hand fans for the Wyndham Hotel. Smith, who works in the hotel's marketing department, had been outside since 3:30 p.m. — the hottest point of the day.

“We've got boxes and boxes of (these fans),” he said.

Even the flavored ice industry wasn't a safe bet from the heat Monday. Leonard Lozano, a vendor in Alamo Plaza, said that the same heat driving customers to his stands was keeping larger crowds away.

“We usually have six stands, but today we only needed four out here,” he said. “It's usually slow on a Monday anyway, but today there has been almost no one here.”